Edward Warner

Born in London on 27 May 1879, Alfred Edward Warner, ‘Teddy’ to friends, studiedprinting and commercial art at a local Polytechnic college. He learnt the techniquesof stone lithography, woodcut printing, etching, airbrush techniques and scraperboard.He ran his own commercial studio in London before travelling to Australia with his inlawsin 1911. Finding employment opportunities difficult, he moved to Auckland, NewZealand where he was Head of Job-printing at The Star. It was at this time he madehis first etchings.Returning to Australia in about 1919, he worked as a commercial artist. Around 1922 heonce more began etching and exhibiting, earning a considerable reputation for his work.In 1930 his daughter began to help in the studio preparing plates and printing, and in 1936he was joined by his son, who printed many works. In the mid 1930s Alfred Warner and hiswife travelled in a caravan around NSW, Victoria and Queensland collecting material for hisAustralia at Work series of prints.In the late 1930s he produced a series of colour linocuts. Designed by Warner they werecut by his daughter and printed by his son, hence the signature, ‘The Warners’.During the depression years Warner also produced popular etchings under the pseudonymsC. Jack, C. J. Dodd, Brueton, G. Marler and G. Martin. Some of these were printed in largeeditions and he also made a range of unsigned cards. Warner also produced screenprintstowards the end of the 1930s, having taught himself from American magazines. Hespecialised in producing photographic stencils and also sold screenprinting equipment thathe designed and made.He does not seem to have made any etchings after 1938. Warner died in 1968.Roger Butler Senior Curator, Australia Prints, Posters and Illustrated Books,National Gallery of Australia